Winning Isn't Everything // Performing Under Pressure

Issue #2, August 7th 2021

🏆Winning Isn’t Everything

Simone Biles Rejects a Long Tradition of Stoicism in Sports

Simone Biles, the world’s most decorated American gymnast, vaulted into global headlines when she failed to stick her landing and withdrew from olympic competition. What sent greater shockwaves than her performance, was her decision not to perform. 

The divided response reflects a generational shift in cultural core values.  The critics who judged Biles often reflected their own materialist values: winning, and the status, power & prestige that comes with it, should be valued over all else. Biles', in prioritizing her own mental and physical health, violated those values. 

For her supporters, Simone’s decision legitimized their post-materialist values: self-expression over success. Biles' decision spoke volumes to young people. In essence, she communicated: It’s okay, it’s courageous, and it’s “good” to take care of yourself. To trust your gut. To step back from the expectations of others. To make a decision that prioritizes care for yourself.

What about the outcome of her decision? No doubt Simone wondered what would come of her decision not to perform. What would she be sacrificing to care for herself? Would she lose the support and respect of others? 

The day after bowing out of the competition, she tweeted:

Simone Biles @Simone_Biles

the outpouring love & support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before. 🤍

What a profound revelation for every young person to fully and deeply grasp. 

Biles and Naomi Asaka are representative of a generation that’s slowly but surely shifting societal values. Two things about their withdrawal from competition stand out:

1. Their decisions are making the world a more inclusive place.  Countries that endorse post-materialistic values are more likely to adopt legislation favorable to gender/sexual minorities. Women in countries that endorse post-materialistic values are also more likely to hold higher positions in political, economic and academic life. In leading by example, Biles and Asaka are bringing post-materialistic values to the mainstream.   

2. They rejected the “win at any cost mentality” that permeates society. Their generation is pushing back against hustle culture and 80 hours work weeks in toxic work environments to be “successful.” They are refusing to work bad jobs for worse pay. They are realizing that outward success does not determine their intrinsic worth and acceptance. Winning isn’t everything.

Get Your Bearings: Do you or your young people feel pressured to live up to others’ expectations? Do they truly “get it” that they are more than their accomplishments?

Let us know in the comments.

🥇Performing Under Pressure

How To Be A Badass On and Off The Court

Fear of failure can plague us when the stakes feel high. Even Biles, the GOAT, admitted she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. When fears cause us to overthink, we can lose our way. Simone Biles withdrew from the Olympic games after experiencing the “twisties'' during the women’s team final. 

We all experience our own version of the twisties when the pressure is on. They can occur anywhere, anytime: during a big exam that may determine the college we go to, or before the presentation to land a promising client. At those moments we get overly self-conscious and we abruptly forget what we know. We fumble with our ATM passcode when there’s a line behind us. We mispronounce the name of an important acquaintance when we bump into them at the grocery store. Our social skills fly out the window when we’re at a party or on a first date. 

The twisties are ubiquitous and result from this strange irony: 

The harder we think, the less we remember. 

Overthinking interferes with automatic memory, also known as “procedural memories.” Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory. Cognitive scientist, Sian Beilock, explains how the better we get at a skill, the more it encodes as procedural memory, and the less we rely on conscious thinking:

“(S)omething interesting happens as people get better and better at performing a skill. . . They forget stuff. Think about riding a bike. How exactly do you do this? Well, yes, first you have to get on the bike and pedal. But there is a lot more to it than that. You have to balance, hold on to the handlebars, look at what is in front of you. If you miss any of these steps, falling is a real possibility. This usually doesn’t happen when proficient bike riders are actually riding, but if you were to ask a bike rider to explain the ‘how-tos’ of this complex skill, he would forget details.”

Beilock explains why we can’t overthink and perform efficiently at the same time: 

“You can think of procedural memory as your cognitive toolbox that contains a recipe that, if followed, will produce a successful bike ride, golf putt, baseball swing, or fully operating mobile phone. Interestingly, these recipes operate largely outside of your conscious awareness. Your own facility is because, when you are good at performing a skill, you do it too quickly to monitor it consciously.”

Self-consciousness can interrupt our procedural memory, hurting our performance (and making us more self-conscious!)

Thankfully, just recognizing when we’re feeling self-conscious can disrupt the overthinking that hinders performance. 

Get Your Bearings:

How to help your students (and yourself) overcome the twisties . . .

1. Identify the trigger (when do you feel self-conscious under pressure?)

2. Reflect on the cause (what’s causing the twisties? is it external pressure to perform? doubt in your ability to succeed?)

3. Affirm your people (remind them why they are pursuing the goal & reinforce your belief in their ability to succeed).  

   Where do you get the twisties and what strategies do you use to overcome them? Please share in the comments.

🌴The Scenic Route

Because sometimes we need to slow down and enjoy the ride.

Shazam For Birds. 

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